


What's a Whumpee Gotta Do To Get Some Sleep Around Here?

by Kira_Dattei



Series: The Old Guard Whumptober 2020 [24]
Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Developing Friendships, Established Relationship, Immortal Found Family, Immortal Husbands Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Insomnia, M/M, Post-Canon, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:14:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27672539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kira_Dattei/pseuds/Kira_Dattei
Summary: It isn’t always the tough missions that make sleep difficult to come by as Joe is proving at the moment.Prompt: Sleep Deprivation
Relationships: Andy | Andromache of Scythia & Nile Freeman & Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani & Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Series: The Old Guard Whumptober 2020 [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1994617
Kudos: 73





	What's a Whumpee Gotta Do To Get Some Sleep Around Here?

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not a whump writer so I can't promise a huge amount of whump in all of these. I just picked the prompt from each day that actually sparked an idea and ran with it.  
> I'm mostly using these as a way to get a feel for the characters and I simply love the relationships given in canon and wanted to explore them.  
> Joe is the lucky whumpee for most of these because I just love him.
> 
> These are all going to be one-shots and they are as connected as you want them to be so you’re good to just read one and not worry about missing anything.
> 
> This is actually the very first thing I wrote for the fandom and I wrote it even before I decided to do Whumptober. Then I was just happy that it fit one of the prompts so easily and that helped me decide to go through with the challenge of tackling Whumptober and having it all be in the same fandom. Because I've done Kinktober before (a Developing Healthy Relationship Kinktober because that's my kink ^_^) but I filled the prompts between 4 fandoms.  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Nile followed Nicky into the house from their supply run, arms loaded with bags that they were both determined to carry all in one trip no matter how much easier it would have been to make two trips. Nile paused once they came around the corner of the entrance hallway and she saw Andy sitting on one end of the couch with a book and her feet propped up on the old coffee table in front of her. Joe was on the couch as well, laying on his back with one arm draped over his face and his feet propped across Andy’s lap. She thought he might be sleeping but then she noted his breathing and recognized the purposeful count for how long he inhaled, held the breath, and then exhaled. And now that she was looking closer, she saw how the hand hanging next to his face was clenched into a fist and his shoulders were tense despite the focused breathing he usually used to relax.

Well, that was different, Nile noted. Out of all of them, Joe was the one who seemed to sleep the most. He was the one that had the easiest time adjusting to a new place and she was about willing to bet that Joe could fall asleep anywhere. He liked to nap through a few hours of the afternoon when he had the option as well.

And he was a deep sleeper too. It didn’t take Nile long to realize that the reason Joe always slept behind Nicky was because Joe just didn’t wake up fast enough to be useful for at least ten seconds. And, considering their lives and luck, that could be an important ten seconds. When they were on mission, he tended to be a bit better, which Nile actually chalked up to him not really sleeping as much period, but he still took longer to wake up than any of them.

Nile had teased him once that it was a wonder Nicky never got jealous of Joe’s relationship with sleep. Before Joe could defend himself, Nicky had called from the kitchen, “Who says I don’t? His love of sleep has been strong since long before he met me.”

“Says the one who would run off for food at a moment’s notice,” Joe countered and Nile was grinning at how these two interacted.

“Not any food. Just very good food. You, however, would abandon me for any chance to sleep.”

“That’s just what you get for loving something as fickle as food. All sleep is good.”

The exchange had been obviously familiar in the way so much was between all of them. Though possibly not something that had come up as often with how amused-rather-than-tolerant Andy had been about it.

But to walk in and see Joe not actually asleep when he was completely laid out to do so was weird.

She glanced over to Nicky, who didn’t seem phased by it as he simply walked to the kitchen and Nile followed a few steps behind. They got everything put away with some easy conversation and then they headed back to the living room. Nicky walked close to the couch this time, leaning over Joe once he was near and pressed a brief kiss to the arm he had over his face and then brushed his fingers through thick hair as he whispered something low enough that Nile couldn’t identify which language he used. Joe just let out a quiet hum in response and Nicky gave another kiss to the arm and leaned forward a bit more to reach past Joe's arm to kiss the side of his chin, and then stood upright and walked to Nile, casually draping his arm over her shoulder and leading her back toward the door.

“Your French is coming along splendidly. Let’s practice with some ‘I Spy’,” he suggested, speaking loud enough that the pair on the couch would hear what they were doing.

“You know, moderation is what keeps games fun,” Nile retorted. She’d started a game with Joe a few weeks ago on a long drive and that ended up becoming a favorite pastime since. Though the older three had taken to putting a spin on it of making the others guess something they’d all seen over their lifetime.

Nile didn’t mind that so much, though. She’d gotten some good stories out of it so far. And she was getting a really good idea of the sort of things each of them tended to notice.

Once they were outside, they headed to the end of the driveway that overlooked the small town nearby and both sat down on the grass.

Before Nicky could get them going on anything to do with her linguistic practice for the day, Nile decided to just ask about Joe. She’d learned how while Joe seemed to be the most excited to talk to her about her life and experiences, none of them minded her asking them questions, that they all wanted her to be comfortable with them, to feel safe in asking.

“Is Joe ok?” she asked.

Nicky didn’t even seem surprised by her question. “Yes, he’s alright.”

She looked over to him and raised an eyebrow at him. “Really? Because if you didn’t notice, he was actually awake when he could be asleep. And he even dragged Andy’s lap into it even though he’s still awake.”

Nicky let out his quiet laugh, obviously genuinely amused. “You’re perceptive, as always. Joe has been having trouble sleeping the past week.”

Nile thought that was weird since they hadn’t taken on any missions in about three weeks and the past few had been really straightforward and handled smoothly. She settled on asking, “You know why?”

“There is not always an obvious reason. This happens with my Joe somewhat often. He is more prone to nightmares than the rest of us, especially when we have short breaks like this.”

“That’s a little unexpected. He doesn’t strike me as someone who holds onto things.”

Nicky gave her another kind smile. “He isn’t. With most things, he feels with intensity but also with haste. But there are some ways that this makes him believe he is beyond something when he hasn’t truly worked through it. When that happens, it resurfaces and he needs to get through it. That is what you are seeing now.”

Nile thought over the past few days and decided that Joe had been a little quieter than she was used to but that alone wasn’t enough to say that he’d been struggling with anything. Because out of all of them, Joe did have the most variety of moods and it hadn’t been any more attention-grabbing than when he was taking a bit longer to figure out what he wanted in a sketch.

Oh, there was something she hadn’t thought of simply because Joe was really the first artist she’d spent a lot of time around. “I haven’t seen him sketching in a few days.”

Nicky looked outright proud at that. “Fantastic observation, Nile!” She felt warm at the compliment, still not used to how easily both Nicky and Joe spouted compliments to all of their little family. But his excitement passed quickly, the man becoming more subdued, his smile sad now. “He doesn’t like drawing what is in his mind in these times. He will eventually, usually when it is hitting him the hardest, and then he destroys the sketches. They are the only things he creates that he outright destroys.”

“What does he draw?” Nile had to ask before she considered that anything horrible enough to bother someone who had spent nearly a millennium fighting and seeing pretty much the worst humanity has to offer wouldn’t be something she’d want to see.

“No one sees them and we allow him that privacy. He’s explained to me before that he benefits the most from no one else seeing what was in his mind.”

Nile gave Nicky a doubtful look. “You mean there’s something you don’t tell each other?”

“I never said that. I said he doesn’t show the drawings to anyone. He tells me what he’s struggling with once he begins to understand what is at the root. And I do not press him to speak sooner. It will not help him if I do, I learned many years ago.”

“And Andy?” Because her placement where he could be in contact with her just felt really intentional.

Nicky gave a soft smile as he looked over his shoulder towards the small house. “Helping any way she can, even if it is just to be where he can feel that he is not alone. Now, are you going to allow me to help you practice your French or not?”

Nile gave him a long-suffering look, barely holding in any sign of amusement. She didn’t mind learning more languages but it was fun to give Nicky a hard time about it considering apparently he had the hardest time learning new languages out of all the other immortals.

They spent the next hour or so outside until Nicky decided it was time to head inside so he could start dinner. Joe usually made dinner but Nile could tell that he was hoping Joe would have managed to fall asleep.

When they again entered the living room, Nile could practically see Nicky’s shoulders relax when they saw Joe laying on his side facing the room, his breathing relaxed in sleep, his legs still extended out to be resting on Andy’s lap and she gave them a quick nod. Nile noted that even Andy looked more relaxed than she had when they’d gotten home the first time. They all apparently agreed that Joe getting any sleep was good.

Nile was slowly but happily coming to understand what these people all meant to each other and they had all done things to make it obvious she had a place with them.

An hour later, food was ready and the smell of food cooking hadn’t even roused Joe. But as Nicky was dishing the food, Nile watched as Andy reached over to shake lightly at Joe’s arm while she said something to him in Arabic. He woke up almost immediately, curling into himself defensively before he seemed to collect himself and sat up.

He looked over to Andy and gave her a warm smile before he leaned over and kissed her cheek. Andy gave an exaggerated roll of the eyes but Nile could see the love she had for her brother then.

Throughout dinner, even knowing something was off didn’t mean it was any easier for Nile to actually see that anything was wrong with Joe. He was still a bit quieter than usual but he was still engaged, still ate like he normally did with the usual compliments to Nicky even if tonight’s also included a commentary on what he’d been planning to make and that he’d picked making what he’d planned for a reason. And after they finished eating and were just loitering around the table, he still leaned back casually into his chair and accepted Nicky taking hold of his hand and pulling it to his lap and interlocking their fingers where it remained until Joe got up to take care of the dishes.

Nile had just about been able to dismiss that there was anything off until she’d gotten up at almost three in the morning to get something to snack on and caught Joe back at the table. He glanced up at her when she walked into the room, giving her a brief smile of greeting.

As she walked past him to the fridge, she noted that there was a closed sketchbook sitting on the table in front of Joe, a pencil twisting between Joe’s fingers absently.

“Couldn’t sleep?” she asked passively enough to hopefully not make it obvious that she’d just talked about this with Nicky earlier that day. But, knowing those two, Nicky had likely already told Joe about the conversation.

“I could, just not for long,” he replied easily enough though Nile did pick up on the strained tone to his voice. He was tired.

“You know, sometimes you just gotta take the initiative and start a dialogue when things with loved ones gets rough. Don’t give up on the relationship just because of a few rough days.”

Joe looked over his shoulder to Nile before letting out a laugh he was obviously having to struggle to keep quiet. Hearing the sound now made Nile realize that she hadn’t heard it in a while.

“A good relationship means working at it, right?” he replied with another chuckle as she dropped into a chair across from him.

“Exactly. And who knows, maybe sleep will admit it was in the wrong this time around.”

“No, it’s definitely me. I don’t make others take responsibility for my faults.”

There was something familiar: Joe’s quick shifts in mood. “Deeply but with haste” as Nicky had described it accurately.

Nile followed along easily enough while still maintaining the joke at least for now even as she figured this would be where it ended. “Wanna talk it out? You know, do a dry run of what you’re gonna say before the actual conversation?”

Joe’s smile was grateful and warm and Nile was struck with the thought that it was a shame only one of them was an artist. There needed to be at least one more so that Joe could be included in the veritable plethora of sketches she'd seen hanging around every safe house. He had some good expressions that deserved as much attention as Nicky, Andy, Quynh, Booker, and now Nile got. But Joe tended to not draw himself, pretty much only doing so if he was working on something with all of them. And even then, he spent far less time on his own likeness than he did anyone else’s, always treating himself as a means to an end of the impression he wanted to create.

“A kind offer,” he replied genuinely. “But not one I feel right accepting at this time. But thank you, _habibti_ , for asking.”

She decided to bite the bullet and take a chance on how well she’d come to know these people. “Were you close to putting it on paper?”

Joe glanced down to the sketchbook briefly. “Not as close as I would prefer. I believe this one will take me some time to figure out.”

Nile reached across the table and squeezed at Joe’s hand before she could even consider if she was crossing any lines. Joe looked momentarily surprised before he turned his hand over and took hers in a tight hold. “You know it’s not a race to be okay again, right? It’s okay to not be okay, especially once everything you’ve been through is taken into consideration. And, hey, you’ve got yourself a kickass support system to help you out until you’re ready to be okay again.”

Joe’s expression was again warm as he looked at Nile, his eyes looking a bit more wet than usual. He didn’t respond but he did wrap his other hand around Nile’s hand and leaned forward and leaned his forehead against their clasped hands. He stayed like that for easily a few minutes and Nile was happy to let him, watching his breathing work through different controlled paces.

When he did sit back and release her hands with one final squeeze, he reached for his pencil and opened the sketchbook to the first empty page and leaned back in his chair, propping his leg against the table and then resting the book against his leg. Nile was ready to give him some privacy, but then he gave her a look she was becoming accustomed to recognizing as him figuring out how he wanted to draw her.

“Hey, just because you’re going insomniac doesn’t mean I am. I’d like to go back to bed,” she complained without meaning any of it.

Joe just gave a slight grin. “Just a few minutes for me to get your lines. I’m still learning them.”

Nile ended up giving him more than a few minutes because she saw how it was helping and she understood where Andy was coming from: anything she could do to help was worth it for this man that was already her brother.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading and I hope you liked it. I'm loving all the feedback I've gotten so far for this series. You guys are just amazingly awesome!! If you feel so inclined to leave a kudo or a comment, feel free to do so.  
> And if you have an additional prompt for this fandom that you want to shoot my way, I'm more than open to hearing them so feel free to comment those if you've got them.
> 
> Thank you again for reading!


End file.
